1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to apparatus and methods associated with portable storage devices for receiving and storing human or animal waste fluids.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Various portable fluid holding apparatus have been developed for use in collecting urine and other human waste fluids in the absence of suitable toilet facilities or to assist bedridden patients or individuals with other physical challenges. Customarily, when an individual is involved in circumstances of confinement or is subject to an interruption of sleep due to the need to urinate, a portable device for sanitarily collecting and storing human waste fluids for disposal has been shown to be useful.
Conventional portable urinals or bed pans may be generally funnel- or cylindrical-shaped at an opening which extends from a fluid second fluid impervious container used to store voided fluids. These portable urinals, while generally effective in receiving and storing human fluids, can be prone to leakage at connection points and, in hand-held models, may be susceptible to spilling issues. Other portable urinals may include large, cumbersome second fluid impervious containers connected to receiving apparatus by long hoses or tubes which can become tangled or easily cause spills if the receiving apparatus is not located physically above the second fluid impervious container, allowing gravity to reverse the desired flow of fluids. In still other, more complicated designs, motors can be used to pump fluids into a second fluid impervious container, but these features can unnecessarily complicate the design and introduce sanitary and safety concerns.
A similar problem of unsightliness exists in the range of typical portable fluid storage devices, which are primarily designed to be either hidden from view or used in a hospital/hospice setting. Conventional portable urinals are not adapted to contain inner fluid conduits and/or inner second fluid impervious containers, both designed to be removed from an outer structure and/or second fluid impervious container for disposal or cleaning of the inner parts which contact the waste fluid during its collection. Collected waste fluids are typically in plain sight within the second fluid impervious container, necessitating the desire for hiding such conventional portable urinals from view or otherwise allowing collected fluids to be visible.
It would be desirable to provide a portable fluid storage device that is designed to eliminate or minimize leakage and spilling issues and which contemplates inner portions which contact waste fluids and outer portions which may offer support and coverage for the inner portions.